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Ridley Scott's New 'Blade Runner' Project Update

Yesterday the online sci-fi fan community just about exploded when news broke that Sir Ridley Scott would be helming a new movie that takes place in the Blade Runner universe.

While the project will NOT be a remake, there's still no official yet on whether it'll be a prequel, sequel, or be merely "related" to Scott's original 1982 film the same way that his upcoming Prometheus is connected to Alien (essentially, a spinoff).

Alcon Entertainment heads Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove spoke to 24 Frames about the behind-closed-doors maneuvering that eventually led to Scott being brought back for another trip to the Blade Runner world of renegade replicants and futuristic metropolitan landscapes.

The short of it: Johnson and Kosove knew they needed Scott (or someone of similar stature) to sign on, in order to overcome the rampant cynicism - and protests decrying Hollywood's lack of originality - that greeted their announced plans to develop additional Blade Runner films.

As they (or, rather, Kosove) put it:

"We had a few Plan Bs. But we were really focusing on Plan A, which was Ridley... When we made the first announcement there was a lot of skepticism, understandably. And now with Ridley coming back there's a greater level of comfort. And once we have the writer, I think fans will feel even more comfortable... We want people to know that we're very serious about doing this in an artistic way. This isn't just commercial fodder."

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The work on a new Blade Runner movie has only just begun, with Scott and his fellow producers having outlined a plan for how the project will pay homage (stylistically and thematically) to the original, while also bringing something new to the table - and not merely aping the design of the many sci-fi flicks that were either inspired or heavily influenced by Blade Runner over the past 29 years. However, fans will have to be patient to find out exactly what that plan entails.

To put it in perspective: there was official confirmation about an Alien prequel (which eventually morphed into Prometheus) all the way back in May 2009. Considering that just over three years will have passed by the time that project finally comes to fruition, it seems safe to say that we won't get to return to the Blade Runner realm until 2014, at the earliest.

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However, one thing is certain about the new film: it won't feature Harrison Ford as an older version of Rick Deckard. As Kosove put it:

"In no way do I speak for Ridley Scott. But if you're asking me will this movie have anything to do with Harrison Ford, the answer is no. This is a total reinvention, and in my mind that means doing everything fresh, including casting."

So far everything the producers behind the new Blade Runner project seem to be saying and doing all the right things. They're not going to simply rush the movie into production and they've gotten Scott to handle the project, who will bring all his years of experience as an auteur on big-budget spectacle to the table - not to mention, his recently-gained knowledge of 3D filmmaking.

Let there be no doubt: It's all but guaranteed that the new Blade Runner pic is going to be shot in the third dimension - and, let's be honest, doesn't the idea of revisiting that film's imaginative sci-fi world in 3D sound enticing?

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We'll continue to keep you posted on the status of Scott's new Blade Runner project as more information is released.